Bundesliga round 24 review

Since Monday evening, every team in the German Bundesliga has played 24 league matches, which means there are ten more to go.
That does not include the two relegation playoff games that the sixteenth-place finisher (third from bottom) will have to play against the third-placed side from Bundesliga 2.

In any case, the business end of the season is clearly upon us.

Matchday 24 began last Friday with the relegation six-pointer between Mainz 05 and VfL Wolfsburg. It was also the debut of new Wolves coach Bruno Labbadia. His team got off to a dream start, with an early lead through a goal by Josip Brekalo.

Mainz answered just before the break, with a Yoshinori Muto strike. The encounter finished 1-1, a result that for one night put the 05ers ahead of Werder Bremen and out of the drop zone.

On Saturday afternoon, Bayern Munich drew Hertha BSC Berlin 0-0. It ended the Bavarian winning streak, but they will be far more alarmed by the injury to Kingsley Coman, easily their best winger.

Meanwhile TSG Hoffenheim’s 1-1 draw with SC Freiburg means that Hoffe’s European hopes may be all but over. Elsewhere, Christoph Kramer ended Borussia Mönchengladbach’s miserable run of four straight losses and more than 400 minutes without a goal, with his 1-0 winning strike against Hanover 96.

VfB Stuttgart ended Eintracht Frankfurt’s positive run, with a 1-0 victory over them as well.
1-0was also the margin of victory for Bremen against Hamburger SV. Thus, putting Werder back out of the drop zone, while likely dooming Hamburg to its first relegation on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Schalke 04 defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 and overtook them in the struggle for Champions League places for now.
1.FC Cologne came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 2-1.